FOI/202500498546 · FOI · partially withheld
Correspondence to the First Minister regarding A Fresh Start with Independence: FOI release
Information requested
For the period 8th October 2025 - date, please provide all correspondence received by the First Minister (or his Private Office) which mentions the paper A Fresh Start with Independence, published on 8th October 2025.
Response
Some of the materials you have requested can be located at Annex A of this document.
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, eg names/contact details of individuals below the Senior Civil Service, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.
Exemptions under S.29(1)(d), S30(b)(i) and S30(b)(ii) applies to some of the information located in Annex A. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in Annex B of this letter.
About FOI
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Detected exemption language
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, eg names/contact details of individuals below the Senior Civil Service, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. Exemptions under S.29(1)(d), S30(b)(i) and S30(b)(ii) applies to some of the information located in Annex A. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in Annex B of this letter.